How to find the right business mentor for you

Ask successful business owners what helped them most and many will answer with two words: “My mentor.”

When you’re starting out in business, you’re going to make mistakes.

Having a mentor – someone further down the road, who can give you advice on everything from business expansion to managing your own work-life balance – is invaluable. As businessman Zig Ziglar famously said, “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.”

Virgin founder Richard Branson attributes his success in the airline industry in large part to his mentor, Sir Freddie Laker. He recommends finding a mentor to all entrepreneurs and business owners.

But how, exactly, do you find the ideal mentor for you? Here are characteristics to look for – and ways to tap into your network to find that person:

Personality plus experience

You don’t need to find someone in exactly the same industry. But you do need to make sure the advice they can give is relevant to your business. Ideally, your mentor would have experience across several industries – or be specialised in your area.

It’s also crucial to find someone whose personality is suited to mentoring. If you respond well to tough love and plain talk, seek out a mentor who can deliver that. But if you want a good listener who takes a softer approach, seek out those attributes.

Regardless of personality type, you should make sure your mentor is willing to tell you what you need to hear – not what you want to hear.

When you’re sounding someone out with a view to a mentoring relationship, look for the spark. An ideal mentor will quickly become invested in you, your business and your success. Having someone who believes in what you’re doing will be valuable when you hit turbulent waters.